


a moment of change

by kiyala



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-17 00:11:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2289827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Combeferre is Courfeyrac's lab partner. The same Combeferre that Courfeyrac has had a crush on for the last six months.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a moment of change

**Author's Note:**

> written for the [AU prompt meme](http://kiyala.tumblr.com/post/96342034971) I'm doing on tumblr for #12. lab partners

"You'd think that these lab safety talks would be pointless," Combeferre whispers, breath warm against Courfeyrac's ear. Biting his lip, Courfeyrac continues watching their lab demonstrator while listening to Combeferre. "You'd be surprised by how many people don't think things through. Last semester, one of the guys in my chem lab didn't bother going to the fume hood before opening something. You can imagine how well that went down."

Courfeyrac bites his lip harder, helpless to hold back his grin. The lab demonstrator keeps talking, indicating the microscope in front of her and how it works. Courfeyrac has been through this same talk at the start of the previous semester and clearly, Combeferre knows what he's doing too. They're at a bench at the back of the room, sitting shoulder to shoulder, and it's all Courfeyrac can do to pretend that this is nothing, that he's not mentally doing cartwheels right now.

The thing is, Courfeyrac has had a crush on Combeferre for the better part of six months. A crush that, as Joly has so kindly assured him, can be seen from space Courfeyrac, trust him, he's taking an astronomy subject this semester. Except so far, Combeferre doesn't seem to have noticed at all and it's—good, in that heart-wrenching kind of way that Courfeyrac has learned to associate with having a crush, an equal measure of _look at me_ and _don't look at me_ with an unhealthy serving of _why am I doing this oh god I hate myself_.

He doesn't even know why he'd approached Combeferre the moment he realised they were in the same lab this semester and asked to be partners. It was a good idea at the time, but they're not even an hour in and Courfeyrac is already wondering how he's going to survive three hours a week of close proximity with Combeferre without spontaneously combusting. Especially now that he's very quickly discovering that beneath Combeferre's outward appearance of an intimidating intellectual, he has a dry humour that only makes him even more attractive. Courfeyrac is pretty sure he's going to die.

Then, the lab demonstrator is finished with her safety talk and takes out a box of slides for them to look at through their microscopes. Combeferre's shoulders sag with relief as he mutters, "Fucking finally."

They're allowed two slides each, so they get a good range between them. Courfeyrac notices the odd looks he's receiving every time he and Combeferre make each other laugh, and he can understand that. Combeferre has a reputation for being terrifying, for cutting people down without a second thought. Before today, Courfeyrac had been equally intimidated, but he's thoroughly enjoying having all of his assumptions proven wrong, one muttered remark at a time.

The one assumption that Combeferre proves right, however, is just how good he is at his work. Courfeyrac watches whenever Combeferre is occupied with his slides, mechanical pencil in hand as he sketches what he sees. Courfeyrac is certain he never had a competency kink before, but—well. _Well_.

"Your diagrams are really good," he murmurs as he works on his own. He likes drawing plant cells, with the way they're so neatly structured, even if the diagrams don't come to him as easily as they do to Combeferre.

Looking up from his microscope, Combeferre grins, so obviously pleased with himself that Courfeyrac can't help but grin in return. "Thanks. I try."

"Yeah, well stop that. You're making me look bad."

"I'm pretty sure that's impossible," Combeferre mutters, turning back to his microscope.

"What."

"What."

Courfeyrac tries not to pout, because it takes a very special kind of pathetic to make him actually hallucinate about his crush complimenting him. He can't even tell if Joly is going to laugh at him or just feel sorry for him.

He'll probably laugh, Courfeyrac thinks, pouting at his slides. When he looks up, Combeferre is watching him with a curious expression. He looks embarrassed when he realises he's been caught, but doesn't look away.

"You're…" Combeferre begins, and pauses. He waves his hand in Courfeyrac's direction, in an attempt to encompass whatever word he can't find, and makes a pained sound at the back of his throat. Whatever he's trying to say, Courfeyrac supposes it can't be all that bad, because of the way Combeferre smiles at him, looking even more embarrassed than before.

There's a certain kind of hope that is only ever felt when harbouring a crush, and that hope is slowly but surely stealing all of Courfeyrac's breath, and all of his composure.

The third hour of their lab is spend making their own slides with onions. Combeferre makes his without having to look at the instructions, draining the excess iodine from staining his slide while the others in the class are still struggling to put their cover slips on without leaving bubbles behind. Courfeyrac follows Combeferre's lead, even as he deviates from the instructions.

"You're ridiculously good at this," Courfeyrac mutters, marvelling at their slides. The piece of onion is dyed and thanks to Combefere's modifications to their instructions, they've gotten rid of most of the iodine in the background to ensure that their slides aren't too dark. "Again, with the whole thing about making me look bad. At least it's not so bad when I can copy off you."

"You're not copying," Combeferre replies. "You're learning. There's a big difference."

Courfeyrac snorts quietly. "Sounds better than copying, at least."

They put their slides under their microscopes and Courfeyrac takes his time to look at the cells properly before he starts drawing them. Combeferre's already far ahead of him, giving the people at neighbouring benches pointers when they're still struggling with their slides and their microscope settings.

"You really don't need to be taking this class, do you?" Courfeyrac asks, raising an eyebrow at Combeferre. "You should be doing, I don't know, second-year stuff."

Combeferre snorts quietly. "Apparently, the Faculty would rather I tick the appropriate boxes first. It's not so bad, at least I'm in good company."

Courfeyrac shakes his head, laughing softly and trying his very best to pretend that he's not blushing. So maybe his crush actually _can_ be seen from space. Whatever. It's not like he actually has a chance with someone so handsome and intelligent and funny. If nothing else, he can enjoy a semester of having Combeferre as a lab partner.

The three hours of lab are over before Courfeyrac even realises it, feeling both incredibly long and far too short. Between himself and Combeferre, they've made several more slides of anything else they can find and they're the last to pack up, the last two in the lab as they pack their labcoats away and pick up their bags. Combeferre's is incredibly full and as he struggles to fit everything into it, a small spiral-bound book falls out.

Courfeyrac is the first to bend to pick it up, pausing when he sees that it's opened to pages that are completely covered in sketches of moths. 

"Did you draw these?" he asks, taking in the pencil strokes, the smudges here and there. 

Combeferre groans quietly. "Yes. Those are mine. I like moths. I'm very sublte about it, I know."

"You're actually a massive dork," Courfeyrac realises.

"The truth's out," Combeferre sighs. "I'm not cool at all, I'm just a straight-A student who draws moths for fun. I know, the sweater-vests and thick glasses were so misleading."

"You're an incredibly funny dork who makes sweater-vests look better than you have any right to," Courfeyrac replies, standing up and handing the notebook back. "You know, I used to be scared of you. Well, not scared. Intimidated. I heard you made your lab partner cry last semester, but you've been pretty amazing so far. If you're trying to lull me into a false sense of security, consider me lulled."

"My lab partner last semester was an incompetent slacker. You're much better."

"My heart is fluttering," Courfeyrac says, and wishes he was joking.

A small grin spreads across Combeferre's lips and okay, forget fluttering, Courfeyrac's heart is _pounding_.

"I should probably…" Courfeyrac vaguely gestures at the door, even though he can't quite drag his gaze away from Combeferre.

"Um, you…" Combeferre speaks up, and clears his throat. "You know that I'm friends with Joly as well, right?"

No, Courfeyrac did not know that. "Shit. He didn't say anything he should have, did he? Because then I'm going to have to kill him."

"His boyfriend and girlfriend might take issue with that," Combeferre tells him, which is answer enough. "And not if I get there first. He threatened to show you my sketchbook full of moths if I didn't at least ask you for coffee but now that you've seen them anyway…"

"And they are _very_ nice moths," Courfeyrac adds.

Combeferre grins. "Coffee?"

"I have an hour-long break between now and our biology lecture," Courfeyrac replies, leading the way out of the lab. 

"What a coincidence," Combeferre murmurs, falling into step with him. "So do I."

**Author's Note:**

> Title from All We Are by OneRepublic


End file.
